The Business Case for Deep-energy Retrofits – retrofit

Commercial building deep-energy retrofits provide substantially greater energy savings—often reducing a building’s energy consumption by up to 50 percent—than traditional retrofits. Yet they offer more than just a low utility bill. When planned and executed properly, a deep retrofit can … Continue reading

Picarro Gas Leak Detection Technology

Would anyone be interested in supporting a crowd-funding project to bring this technology to San Antonio and SouthTexas Region? Picarro is a leading provider of solutions to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, trace gases and stable isotopes across many scientific … Continue reading

The huge challenges and opportunities of the Circular Economy – Fortune

If we carry on using the Earth’s resources at the current rate of increase, we’ll need three planets by 2050. But rethinking the way we organize global production and consumption, and the new technologies and business models required, present one … Continue reading

Kochs and Walmart Clan Wage Dirty War to Stop You From Putting Solar Panels on Your Home | Alternet

Say it ain't so Joe! A new rooftop solar system is installed every three minutes in the U.S., up from one every 80 minutes just eight short years ago. If this pace continues to accelerate or even just holds steady, … Continue reading

San Antonio’s New Energy Economy

Turning innovation into economic development CPS Energy’s New Energy Economy (NEE) is built on partnerships with companies who share our belief in clean energy, innovation and energy efficiency. Since 2011, CPS Energy has worked with a number of partners to … Continue reading

For ‘Eco Flippers,’ There’s Green in Foreclosed Homes – Businessweek

When Christine Fisk toured a foreclosed home in Phoenix that had been renovated to be more energy-efficient, she wasn’t sold on its environmental benefits. But the two-bedroom bungalow was just minutes from her office and in good shape, so the … Continue reading

FOCUS | How the U.S. Can Sustainably Become the World’s Top Economy Again

hina has overtaken the U.S. as the world’s top economy. But in taking a few examples from China, as well as investing in jobs that stay in America and taking steps to insure economic stability for the majority of American … Continue reading

Why Elon Musk’s Batteries Scare the Hell Out of the Electric Company – Bloomberg

Climate: Now or Never Here’s why something as basic as a battery both thrills and terrifies the U.S. utility industry. At a sagebrush-strewn industrial park outside of Reno, Nevada, bulldozers are clearing dirt for Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA)’s battery factory, … Continue reading

Leaked: The Oil Lobby’s Conspiracy to Kill off California’s Climate Law – Businessweek

You remember Fillmore. He’s the resident hippie of Radiator Springs in the Pixar blockbuster Cars. Much to the chagrin of his neighbor, Sarge the Army Jeep, Fillmore greets each new day with Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock rendition of A Star Spangled … Continue reading

Solar has won. Even if coal were free to burn, power stations couldn’t compete | Giles Parkinson | Comment is free | The Guardian

Last week, for the first time in memory, the wholesale price of electricity in Queensland fell into negative territory – in the middle of the day. For several days the price, normally around $40-$50 a megawatt hour, hovered in and … Continue reading

▶ Distributed Urban Agriculture | Mitch Hagney | TEDxSanAntonio – YouTube

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. While the majority of the population now lives in urban areas, the vast majority of our food still comes from far distant rural farms using … Continue reading

US Named Global Leader in Wind Production as Industry Fights for Tax Credit Extension

Massachusetts, USA — While China boasts the most installed wind capacity, the U.S. can now push that statement aside and claim the throne for what arguably matters most — wind energy production. According to a new report from the American … Continue reading

Back-To-The-Future Agriculture: ‘Farming Like the Earth Matters’

It is easy to forget that once upon a time all agriculture was organic, grassfed, and regenerative. Seed saving, composting, fertilizing with manure, polycultures, no-till and raising livestock entirely on grass—all of which we associate today with sustainable food production—was … Continue reading

Reinventing Fire: Electricity – YouTube

Reinventing Fire: Electricity – YouTube. … Continue reading

Want everyone else to buy into environmentalism? Never say “Earth” | Grist

For over three decades, David Fenton has played an unusual role in the environmental movement: marketing it. The company he founded, Fenton Communications, has worked with everyone from Nelson Mandela to MoveOn.org. It recently managed an anti-fracking campaign for Yoko … Continue reading

VVWRA to unveil biogas facility – News – HesperiaStar.com – Hesperia, CA

VICTORVILLE — Renewable-energy enthusiasts from all reaches of the nation will visit Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority’s main treatment plant later this week to witness the first carbon-neutral facility of its kind in North America. Teaming with Anaergia Inc. of … Continue reading

Transparency About Fracking Chemicals Remains Elusive | WSKG

By Katie Colaneri Listen to this 5 minute 28 second report Transparency about tracking chemicals remains elusive. This is a story about a place where Big Drilling meets Big Data in website called “FracFocus.” The site is run by an … Continue reading

Beehives Atop The Omni Colonnade Rooftop Are Set To Earn Their Keep | Texas Public Radio

The Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade is now host to some unusual guests and of all places – on their rooftop. Although they are now, beecoming, local residents. Back in September, Walter Schumacher with the American Honeybee Protection Agency, … Continue reading

Solar Power on the Rise: The Technologies and Policies behind a Booming Energy Sector (2014) | Union of Concerned Scientists

Solar power generates electricity with no global warming pollution, no fuel costs, and no risks of fuel price spikes, and has the potential to help move the country toward cleaner, reliable, and affordable sources of electricity. Small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) … Continue reading

The Devil Is In the Details (And So Is the Solution)

Assessing the benefits and costs of distributed solar PV Earlier this month, the decision of APS—Arizona’s largest electric utility—to propose two major changes to its net metering program, one which would do away with the program entirely, has become the … Continue reading